The Associated Press reports Milton was convicted of fraud for lying to investors about the potential of his technology. The pardon could erase hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution prosecutors were seeking to repay investors.
When asked by a reporter in a news conference Friday why he pardoned Milton, Pres. Donald Trump said it was “highly recommended by many people,” the AP reported. Trump suggested that Milton was prosecuted because he supported the president.
“They say the the thing that he did wrong was he was one of the first people that supported a gentleman named Donald Trump for president,” Trump said.
Trump went on to say that Milton “did nothing wrong” and that the Southern District of New York’s prosecutors were “a vicious group of people,” according to the Associated Press.
During his securities fraud case, the AP said Milton was defended by two lawyers with connections to Trump: Marc Mukasey, who has represented the Trump Organization; and Brad Bondi, the brother of Pam Bondi, who Trump appointed as U.S. Attorney General.
Milton resigned from Nikola in 2020 amid reports of fraud and questions about his claims the company had produced zero-emission 18-wheel trucks. The company $125 million to settle a civil case brought by the SEC in 2021.
Just last month, Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Milton announced the pardon on X late Thursday, saying President Donald Trump had called him personally with the news.
“I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for his courage in standing up for what is right and for granting me this sacred pardon of innocence,” he wrote.
Today I was issued a full and unconditional pardon by @realDonaldTrump himself. He called me personally to tell me.
— Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) March 28, 2025
This pardon is not just about me—it’s about every American who has been railroaded by the government, and unfortunately, that’s a lot of people. It is no wonder… pic.twitter.com/qpT0jjI6Fy
Locally Milton is known for his 2019 purchase of 2,000-acre property on the Weber River in Oakley known as Riverbed Ranch. The property sold for $32.5 million and at the time was considered the most expensive real estate transaction in the state. Milton bought the property after Nikola went public with a valuation of over $3 billion.
In 2020, Milton also made news for paying the past-due electric bills for his neighbors at the start of the pandemic. He also drew complaints for flying to his property on a helicopter when it wasn’t allowed.
Milton and his wife donated more than $1.8 million to a Trump re-election campaign fund less than a month before the November election, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Milton was portrayed by prosecutors as a con man six years after he had founded the company in a basement in Utah.
